Ryan Coogler writes heartfelt letter after ‘Black Panther’ success

Team Udayavani, Feb 21, 2018, 4:17 PM IST

Los Angeles: Director Ryan Coogler has penned a letter to the fans of his film “Black Panther”, which is breaking box-office records all over the world. The film that features Chadwick Bosman in the titular role has been lauded by the critics and has already taken a massive earning at the box office during its opening weekend.

The letter was shared by Marvel Studios on Twitter with a hashtag ‘WakandaForever’, a popular phrase from the film. “I am struggling to find the words to express my gratitude at this moment, but I will try. Filmmaking is a team sport. And our team was made up (of) amazing people from all over the world who believed in this story. Deep down we all hoped that people would come to see a film about a fictional country on the continent of Africa, made up of a cast of people of African descent,” Coogler said.

“Never in a million years did we imagine that you all would come out this strong. It still humbles me to think that people care enough to spend their money and time watching our film. But to see people of all backgrounds wearing clothing that celebrates their heritage, taking pictures next to our posters with their friends and family, and sometimes dancing in the lobbies of theatres often moved me and my wife to tears,” he added.

He also showered appreciation to people who supported the film on social media through their posts and also to media for the wonderful reviews. “Thank you for giving our team of filmmakers the greatest gift: The opportunity to share this film, that we poured our hearts and souls into, with you,” Coogle wrote.

“Black Panther” is the first Marvel film to be led by a person of colour and featuring a virtually all-black cast with Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman among others.